The Greatest Gift
by davis-baker
Summary: She always gets nostalgic on Mother's Day because it reminds of her of everything she and Julian almost didn't have. It reminds her of their struggle and how they managed to come out victoriously. Brulian!  Contains SOME SPOILERS so read with caution!


**A/N – Brulian oneshot! It kinda does include SOME SPOILERS (regarding Brooke's pregnancy), and I've taken some liberties with it, so yeah, read at your own risk because it does reveal a thing or two!**

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><p><span>The Greatest Gift<span>

Brooke Baker smiles as she wakes up early one bright and sunny morning in May. The spot beneath her in the bed is vacated, and from outside her bedroom, she can hear her husband and children laughing from the kitchen.

She suspects that their making her a special breakfast, and she most definitely concludes that as they do this, they're probably making a massive mess.

But she doesn't care.

Because it's Mother's Day.

And although she knows the holiday is slightly fabricated, it's one she always looks forward to every year. Because, at one point in time, she doubted ever celebrating it.

The struggle to have a family with Julian had been a long and torturous one that had left her in a dark place. She wanted a child more than anything. A child who'd look up to her, who'd expect her to clean their scrapes and cuts, expect her to tuck them in; a child who'd make finger painted cards and bring her breakfast in bed on Mother's Day.

It was something she and Julian had longed for so much.

And she's glad that they never gave up. She's glad they didn't let the issue tear them apart completely. She's glad Julian never left her side through it all.

Otherwise they wouldn't have their two greatest joys.

After a rough time, Brooke had miraculously found herself pregnant.

The news was unexpected, yet so very welcomed.

The couple couldn't have been happier...And then they went in for the six week ultrasound.

Brooke had not been feeling anything out of the norm. In fact, she was enjoying the pregnancy. Having an actual human grow inside her, it just gave her this incredible feeling.

So when the doctor's face twisted in confusion for the slightest second, the pair had gotten a bit apprehensive. It wasn't until a minute later when the doctor began to smile and the image on the screen became clearer that they knew what was going on.

They hadn't been blessed with one baby.

No…they were being given two.

Brooke had immediately broken out into tears…happy ones, of course. And Julian just had the biggest grin on his face, because it truly was the greatest news the two of them had ever heard.

A few weeks later, they found out that the twins would be two boys. Brooke gushed on and on about how she wanted them to be just like Julian.

Things were going great. Really great.

Julian had insisted on doing everything for Brooke because it was a high-risk pregnancy. But things went so smoothly.

They had painted the nursery together. A nice shade of blue.

It was in Brooke's seventh month when Julian was putting together the cribs. Brooke had told him it was better to be ready and prepared. Just in case of anything.

She had spoken a bit too soon.

Seven months in, and she began getting this immense pain in her abdomen one night.

It was too early.

She had called to Julian from the other room, and he came racing in.

They needed to go to the hospital right away.

She couldn't help but wonder how something so perfect could turn so bad in the blink of an eye as the doctors wheeled her right away that night.

From there it all happened really fast. And it wasn't anything like they had imagined it to happen either.

And then the babies were born. And the room went silent.

Davis and Jude Baker had been born, six minutes and fourteen seconds apart.

Neither let out a cry.

Julian and Brooke didn't even get to see them. The twins were immediately taken out of the room to be examined.

It wasn't until forty-five minutes later that a doctor came to talk to them. It was the longest forty-five minutes of their lives.

Thankfully the doctor told them good news. Yes, the twins were very early and small and were placed in the NICU…but as of now, they seemed to be doing well. He'd told them that within a month, they should be ready to go home.

And as much as they wanted to take them home that very instant, Brooke and Julian were just extremely happy and grateful that they were now parents to two beautiful baby boys.

The NICU had become their second home. They spent much of the day's hours just sitting in there by their sons. They were beyond thrilled when the boys were taken off the oxygen and feeding tubes and were able to get a great grip on their hands.

They were growing strong just as their parent's had hoped.

And sticking to the doctor's word, a month later, Davis and Jude were ready to come home.

By then, the nursery had been perfected. It was finished off with a grand rocking chair, per Brooke's request, and she spent much of the nights sitting in their rocking them to sleep.

It wasn't easy, but they never expected it to be. They quickly took upon a routine, and while they were no experts, they liked to think they were getting the hang of things pretty well.

It was everything they could have wished for.

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><p>She always gets nostalgic on Mother's Day because it reminds of her of everything she and Julian almost didn't have. It reminds her of their struggle and how they managed to come out victoriously. Raising two rambunctious four-year-olds, she's proud to say that they have made it.<p>

And it really hit her on the first Mother's Day she ever celebrated.

The boys were only a couple of months old, five to be precise, and that early morning she remembers just sitting in the nursery in front of their cribs. She let it sink in that she was finally a mom.

_The mobiles above each crib are moving slowly in the darkened room as Brooke sits back in the plush rocking chair. It's taking everything in her to not pick up one of her babies, but she resists the urge because they are finally sleeping soundly. _

"_Hey." She hears Julian's transcending voice as he enters the room and walks towards her. _

"_Hi." She smiles softly at him. "Sorry I left you in bed. I just missed them." _

"_That's okay, baby. I had a feeling you'd be in here." He smirks. "But I woke up and realized what time it was, and I had to give you something."_

_Brooke stares at him, slightly confused, as he hands her a box. _

"_Happy Mother's Day, Brooke."_

_Her lips part in surprise; she hadn't even realized it was past midnight and already Sunday._

"_Julian…" She beams…this is why she loves this man so much. _

"_Open it." _

_And when she does, she gasps slightly. It's a gorgeous heart-shaped diamond necklace. _

"_Ohh, it's beautiful. I love it." _

"_The boys helped me pick it out." He jokes._

_She giggles at his comment and gets up from the chair. "Well they did a wonderful job." She plays along. "It's perfect. And I love you." She kisses him soundly on the lips. "Thank you for the gift. And I'm not just talking about the necklace." She glances towards the cribs as her husband wraps an arm around her._

_They wind up sleeping in the rocking chair that night, Brooke on top of Julian, and they don't wake up until one of the baby's cry a few hours later. _

She'll never forget that day. It by far is one of her favorite memories.

"Alright, boys. I think we're ready to wake up mommy."

"I wanna wake her!" Brooke can hear Jude yell. The pair of lungs on that kid is surely something.

"No I wanna!" Davis, aptly called "Davey" by his parents, yells back.

"How about we all wake her? I think she'd enjoy that."

"I guess." Jude sighs.

"I think mommy's gonna like her breakfast."

"'Cause we made it!"

Brooke is glad to hear that the breakfast actually managed to make it to plates this year. Last year, the three boys had attempted to make Brooke breakfast and somehow the pancakes had ended up on fire. Brooke had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that as Julian was cooking he had to make sure the twins, who at the time were only three, didn't get into any trouble.

She hears their footsteps approach her bedroom and immediately closes her eyes. She knows how excited they are and would hate to spoil their surprise for her by being wide awake when they walk in.

The twins' tiny feet scramble into the room, with Julian following close behind with Brooke's tray of food, and they jump onto the bed.

"Wake up! Wake up!" They waste no time in getting her up.

Brooke takes a while to open her eyes, and she tries to make it seem like she truly was asleep.

"Mommy, get up! It's Mother's Day!" Jude yells at her.

"We made you breakfast!" Davis adds.

The tiny boys drag her up into a sitting position and hug her tightly, one on each side.

"Happy Mother's Day!" They each exclaim to her.

"Aw, thank you, babies. I'm sure it's delicious."

"Daddy helped us." They inform her.

She looks over at Julian who's smiling back at her and she mouths an "I love you."

"Oh, Davey, let's go get the presents we made for mommy at school!" Jude suggests.

At his brother's idea, Davis jumps off the bed, Jude following, and rushes out of the room.

This gives Julian time now to actually bring Brooke the tray of food.

He sets it down by her, and grins, leaning in to give her a kiss. "Happy Mother's Day, babe."

"Thank you. And thank you for making me breakfast. I see it turned out much better this year than last." She giggles.

"Well, about that…" Julian begins with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure the boys may have dropped the bacon once or twice…so, I'd push that to the side of your plate if I were you."

"Thanks for the warning." She laughs.

Within seconds, the four-year-olds dash back into the room, each holding something in their hands.

"We made these for you in school." First Davis hands her his. It's a large piece of paper that has his handprints in bright red paint.

"_Dear Mommy_," Brooke reads. "_I_ _love you so much! Happy Mother's Day_. Aw, Davey, I love it. Thank you." She places a nice, big kiss right on his forehead and if it were any other normal day, chances are he would have wiped it away. But because it's Mother's Day, he knows to leave it. Today is a day for his mommy.

"Read mine, mommy!" Jude eagerly hands her his. The two papers are practically identical except that Jude's handprints are in blue.

"_Dear Mommy, thanks for being the best mommy in the whole world! Happy Mother's Day._" She reads and looks down at Jude when she's finished. "You know you make my job easy. You and your brother." She winks at the young boy and kisses him just as she did with Davis. "I love it…I love both of these. And I'm going to find the perfect spot for them right on the fridge."

"Can we help you put them on, mommy?"

"Of course! In fact, why don't you and your brother go find me a spot?"

The boys seem to appreciate the idea as they head back off to the kitchen.

"The boys and I have another present to give you, but I told them we'd give it to you a little later on." Julian says to his wife as he takes a seat beside her on the bed.

"I don't need another present." Brooke replies, smiling up at him. "Waking up like this every morning…that's the only thing I need."

The couple shares a kiss before they both get up, ready to join the twins in the kitchen.

Brooke smiles brightly, so happy and grateful that she gets to have amazing days like this, not only on Mother's Day, but every day, with her three most favorite boys.

That, in and of itself, is the greatest gift she could ever have been given.

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><p><strong>AN – Hope you guys enjoyed this! **

**-Melissa**


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